Once Upon a Time Fanfiction
Family Reunion
Chapter One: Letting Go
Into the Enchanted Forest
Rushing through the pine trees, Gerda tried to catch her breath. But the Queen's knights were reaching her village, and she needed to inform her father. She puffed through her nose and ran all the harder. Reaching her village minutes later, she ran by the bakery, and straight to the main court house.
"Mayor Gardbor!" Gerda called out, trying to catch her breath. "The Queen is on her way here!" Gerda shouted, trying to catch anyone's attention.
The round bellied mayor looked up at Gerda from his desk, and nodded. "Get to your father. We will stall the Queen." He replied to the girl.
Gerda understood, and ran out the door, heading straight for the hill, where her and her father's small house stood. Not bothering to knock, she entered the wooden building, and closed the door.
"Father? Father! The Queen is on her way!" Gerda shouted. She need not have, as her father was sitting at the table, most likely thinking about Gerda's late mother. He looked up at his daughter, panic across his face.
"How long do we have?" He questioned, rising from his chair to grab his cloak. He also grabbed one for his daughter. As he got closer to Gerda, he looked into his daughter's blues eyes, which were placed behind her spectacles.
"I don't know, perhaps three minutes." Gerda guessed, shrugging. "All I know is that the mayor wants us to get to the forest."
Her father nodded, and together they went to the door. As they rushed down to the village, Gerda noticed all the village folk lining up on either side of the main road, awaiting the royal carriage. All except one older woman, who was having a hard time trying to rise off the ground.
Without thinking, Gerda directed her path towards the woman, ignoring her father's warnings. "Gerda! Come, we need to go."
And he was right, as he noticed the Queen's carriage arriving. It was too late for Gerda to get to the woods. She yelled for her father to go ahead, and swallowed deeply as she helped to raise the woman off the ground. Hearing the carriage stop behind her, she hurried to help the woman up.
"Away from the elder." A man's voice demanded, pulling Gerda away from the woman. The woman was very close to being raised from the ground, but without Gerda's help she fell again. The knight pushed Gerda to the other side of the road, placing her among other youth.
As the towns people watched helplessly as the older woman tried to stand, the Evil Queen came out of her carriage, wearing a seductive black dress and cloak. Her hair was in a side ponytail, with her dark hair reached her hip, and her lips were as red as blood. It reminded Gerda of when she had bitten her lip, and the colour of red that dripped onto the ground.
The Queen stopped in front of the older woman, smiling cruelly. "Well well dear, we seem to be having some difficulty here." She stated, smiling. "You need to rise, old woman. And bow to your Queen."
However, the old woman would not bow. Instead, surprising all the towns folk including Gerda, the old woman looked up into the Queen's face, and smiled.
"If I am not able to bow down to true royalty, then I would rather not bow at all." The woman stated.
The Queen looked down at the woman, angry. "Then you may die, and bow down to the king in the next life." Raising her hand, fire appeared, which Gerda had recognized immediately as dark magic. Her father had been teaching Gerda all about magic, because of her strange gift.
Before the Queen could strike, Gerda reached out her hand. "Stop!" She yelled. Big mistake. The Queen turned to where Gerda stood, staring the skinny teenager up and down. The older woman looked at Gerda as well, and shook her head in disappointment. Gerda suddenly realized that the woman was willing to die for her cause, and that Gerda may have just put the whole village in danger.
"What did you say?" The Queen demanded, her white teeth gritted. "What did you say to me, peasant?"
Gerda swallowed hard, and as she faced the Queen, she realized something else. The Queen actually looked-worried? Perhaps, Gerda had given the Queen something to mull over. Not many had defied her, other than the runaway princess, Snow White. This seemed shocking to the Queen.
Forgetting the danger at hand and letting curiosity get the better of her, Gerda stared the Queen straight back in the face, defying the fear that the Queen tried to instill in her heart.
"I said, stop." Gerda stated. The Queen sneered in her direction, and putting out the fire in her hand, walked up to the teenager, slowly and deadly. But Gerda refused to let fear get the better of her. As the Queen stood right up to Gerda's chest, Gerda could feel the impact of dark magic that tried to impale Gerda's heart. But she refused to budge.
"Well well dear, looks like we have a brave child." The Queen sneered. She backed away from Gerda, and looking back, she stood tall. "Bow down girl, and I may forgive you of your wrongdoings. May." The Queen stated.
All the towns people stared at Gerda expectantly. But Gerda was set not to move, until she saw her father in the distance, staring longingly at his daughter. If the Queen knew he was there…..
As if reading her thoughts, The Queen looked behind her back, and saw Gerda's father in the distance. Smiling, she looked back at Gerda. "Well, looks like our little "hero" has a father to protect." Snapping her fingers, Gerda's father appeared in a puff of smoke beside the Queen, binded by ropes.
The Queen stroked the man's beard, and smiling, looked back to Gerda.
"If you want to protect daddy here, do as I say, and bow down. Or else." The Queen stated.
Gerda looked to her father, who looked solemn. What was she to do? She lowered her head, and staring at the ground, she silently prayed. Looking back up, she stared the Queen straight in the face, and shook her head.
"No. I will not bow down." Gerda answered. "But you will not hurt my father, either." Before her father could object, Gerda pulled the glove off her right hand, and raising her hand out to the Queen, she let her magic go.
The Queen fell backward by the power, as well as her guards. Then chaos happened, as the towns folk ran around like crazy. But before Gerda could reach her father, The Evil Queen rose from the ground, and stood to face Gerda.
"Guards, seize the girl!" She screamed, pointing at Gerda. But Gerda's father reacted first and raising himself from the ground, he threw himself at the Queen. He wanted to buy Gerda some time.
"Go!" He yelled at his daughter. "Run!" Wiping tears from her eyes, Gerda did what her father said, and ran into the woods.
Chapter Two: Daddy Issues
As Henry stepped off the school bus, he sighed mournfully. Emma was evil, Regina was trying to deal with Zelena's unborn child, and his grandparents were always out of the house, at the library pouring over books, trying to see if there was any way to save their daughter.
Meanwhile, Henry was forced to go to school every day, where all the other kids stared at him because of his mothers' reputations. All accept his friend. His only friend. Looking behind him, he smiled. Gerda was two years older than him, but they got along well enough.
"Ready to work on our project, Henry?" Gerda asked. They had been partnered up in science class to finish a class assignment that Mary Margaret had left for them.
As they walked towards Regina's house, Gerda nudged Henry nervously. "Are you sure we should work at your house? What if your mom doesn't like me?"
Henry waved away her worry. "Relax Gerda. My mom isn't the Evil Queen anymore. She is much more friendly now." As they reached the house, Henry knocked on the door. He wanted to surprise his mom this time. She wasn't expecting him.
Regina came to the door quickly and a huge smile played across her lips at the sight of her son. "Henry, what a surprise!" She stated, giving him a quick hug and kiss. Her eyes then turned to Gerda, who was standing behind Henry awkwardly. She didn't want to intrude on their reunion.
Henry backed from his mom, allowing more room for the two woman. "Mom, this is my friend, Gerda. She is my partner for the science project that Grandma has left us, while she is, you know…." He quickly cut himself off, and stared at the marble porch which he was standing on.
Gerda swallowed hard. Did the Queen, Regina, remember all the on goings of the Enchanted Forest? Did she remember who Gerda was? What if Gerda was putting herself in terrible danger? When Gerda had first met Henry, she just thought he was a lonely boy who needed somebody to talk to. She didn't think that there would ever be such a bond of friendship struck between them. But when Henry told Gerda about who his mom was, she became nervous. Unlike all of the other kids, however, Gerda did not push him away. Instead, she became even closer to the boy, which could lead to her downfall. Was this a bad idea?
As Gerda waited to see the mayor's reaction, relief and a feeling of anxiety spread through Gerda's body as Regina merely stuck out her hand to her. "Very nice to meet you, Gerda." Regina stated, smiling. She really was quite pretty, as Gerda had remembered her in the forest. However, Gerda could still not forget their encounters, even though the Queen could. She just had to play it out smoothly, and next time she and Henry worked on a project, she would recommend they work at the library.
Mary Margaret Blanchard paced through the library, reading an old book on the uses of Dark Magic. She had been pouring over the book all day, and could feel drowsiness sweep over her. If only her heart would allow her to rest.
But as she thought of her only daughter, the Saviour, sacrificing her life to the darkness to save Regina, Mary Margaret shook away the thought of sleeping, and continued to read. There had to be something, anything, which could help her and David save their daughter. Anything.
Meanwhile, as Mary Margaret paced and read, David Nolan sat at a table, looking over maps of the different realms that were known to the people of Storybrooke. There was Neverland, which brought back painful memories of longing for the safety of Henry. The Enchanted Forest, which all of them knew very well. Arendelle, which was the home of David's good friends, Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Sir Kristoff. Oh, and Oz, David added mentally, putting it on his list and pulling out its map. The home of Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West.
As David looked at the maps, he decided to tally off all the places that bore dark magic, and who the dark magic was from. He merely wanted an idea of who had dark magic, and how it was used. That way, he could have a better understanding of it.
Just as he was writing down Cora Miller's name, he could hear Mary Margaret call for him. "David, come here."
David rose from his seat, and walked to where Mary Margaret stood. She was now looking at another book amidst the many in the town library. It was about the history of the Dark One's Dagger. Mary Margaret handed the book to David, and looked at her watch.
"Oh man, I'm late." She stated. When David looked at his wife confused, she went on to explain. "I told Henry and Gerda that I would help them with their science project today." She told her husband, as she threw on a scarf.
David put down the book, curious, for once, about anything else other than Emma. "Gerda? Do we know her?" He asked. "I feel like I have heard her name before."
Mary Margaret shook away her husband's questions. "She is just a friend of Henry's, David. Nothing big. She must have just been one of the villagers in the Enchanted Forest." And with that, she headed out the front door, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.
Gerda and Henry sat at the kitchen table, with Henry pouring over a science textbook while Gerda searched for more information on her laptop. Two empty plates with crumbs from sandwiches sat on the table, along with two glasses of milk.
"Hey Henry, I think I found some interesting information for our topic." Gerda stated, chewing on her pencil. "It should at least help us explain more about the bird process of birds." Henry nodded, smiling. He never said it out loud, but he was so happy to have Gerda as his friend.
For weeks, Henry sat at school by himself while others laughed and stared at him. Everyone did, except Gerda. She was an outsider as well, for reasons Henry didn't know. Gerda just came up to him one day, and sat down beside him, without even saying a word.
And that's how it all started. Soon, Gerda and Henry started hanging out after school, and chatted all about the Enchanted Forest. Gerda did in fact grow up in the Forest, and told Henry all about the adventures she had. Meanwhile, Gerda loved to hear how Henry convinced Emma that she was the Saviour. They told each other stories, and how they would rule the kingdom if they were king or queen.
All in all, they were the best of friends. And nothing was going to change that.
As Gerda showed Henry the new information on bird birth, Mary Margaret entered through the front door without even knocking. She knew Regina would be at work, and that Henry could care less whether she knocked or not. Besides, she was his grandmother.
"Henry, Gerda! I am here to help with your assignment!" Mary Margaret called out, walking into the kitchen. She saw the two students sitting at the table, and as she smiled at Gerda, all she could think of was what David asked about the girl. Gerda? Do we know her? I feel like I have heard her name before.
Now that Mary Margaret thought about it, she started to realize that she had heard the name as well. But instead of asking Gerda about who she was in the Enchanted Forest, she shook the thoughts out of her head.
After a few hours at work, Gerda told Henry that she had to get home. "Is your mom or dad coming to pick you up?" Henry asked, closing his science textbook. Gerda clutched at her arm awkwardly, looking at the ground.
"Well, no. My dad is out of town, and my mom….." Gerda started, but stopped. Henry understood. Like him, Gerda had been raised without her mother. At least Henry had a mother, whereas Gerda only had her dad. He felt sick to his stomach.
"Gerda, I am really sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Henry apologized, feeling bad for what he had said. If he knew that Gerda had no mom, he would have said nothing at all. But then, something else hit him.
"Hey, Gerda, who is your dad? And how long has he been gone?" Henry prodded, feeling comfortable enough to ask about her father. At least he was alive. Gerda shrugged. "He, uh, works in the forest a lot, and cuts wood for fire. And he has been gone for a few weeks."
Mary Margaret choked on her cup of water. "A few weeks?! Gerda, you are sixteen years old! You should not be on your own." Outraged, Mary Margaret rose and grabbed hold of Gerda's right arm. "We are going to your house and you are going to pack your things. You are going to stay with David and me until your father gets back!"
Before Gerda could say anything, Mary Margaret was dragging her out the door. Henry didn't even get to say goodbye. Sometimes, his grandmother could only think of her own feelings.
Suddenly, he got a text on his phone. Picking it up, he saw that the text was from Belle, who was running Mr. Gold's, Rumpelstiltskin's shop, until he awoke from his coma. After having all his dark magic taken from him, he fell into a deep sleep.
Reading over the text, Henry's eyes went wide. "Uh-oh." He stated.